


Final Thoughts (And Beginning Prayers)

by tirsynni



Category: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Role Reversal, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Idiots in Love, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-21
Updated: 2019-12-13
Packaged: 2020-03-09 06:42:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,090
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18911635
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tirsynni/pseuds/tirsynni
Summary: Realizing that the Champions were going to fall, Link uses the Master Sword to seal the darkness and buy Zelda time to awaken her powers. Now Zelda, Revali, and the other Champions must figure out how to free the Divine Beasts and defeat Calamity Ganon without the Legendary Hero or the Master Sword.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Was on the fence about posting this as it's my most work-in-progress WIP, but I'm going to head out today for a very stressful trip (the trip being stressful, not the destination) and decided to pass on the stress. Also born out of many thoughts of role reversals but not seeing enough of them.
> 
> Again, heavily WIP and about to be incredibly stressed out, so please share thoughts and comments so I can take them o the flight(s) with me. :)

In all of Link’s time with Princess Zelda, he never argued with her. He never ordered her. He never raised his voice to her. He barely spoke to her. He didn’t speak at all until the end. When Princess Zelda prayed until she froze, Link helped her and kept her warm until she awoke again. When she shouted at him because she couldn’t shout at her father, he stood still and took every verbal blow. He was her most loyal Knight and her most devoted shadow.

“We must go, Link!” she cried now, and the desperation and terror on her face broke his heart. “Quickly! There’s still time, we can still --”

They had almost made it back to the Castle before Link realized it was too late. They met Link’s father and his garrison at the Hyrule Garrison. Zelda hadn’t seen the first wave. She hadn’t seen the Knights of Hyrule fall under the Guardians. 

She hadn’t seen Link’s father fall.

_ “Take the princess and run!”  _ His father’s final words. Link all but threw Zelda onto Epona and galloped away. Behind them went up the call:  _ protect the princess! _

Only when they reached the Kolomo Garrison did Link realize running was useless. Around them, the Calamity’s Blight spread. Hyrule Field was in ruins. Bodies littered the ground as the Guardians, burning a hateful red, charged forward like rabid wolves. 

Yet none of that was what killed the last of Link’s hope and left him hollow. Link couldn’t see the other Beasts, but he saw Vah Medoh, blazing in the skies in the northwest. Red encircled it, flashing and hungry, and he imagined he could hear Medoh screaming.

They had thought themselves prepared: wise and strong and cunning. Even when Link looked away to face Zelda, his princess, he couldn’t scrape the memory of Medoh writhing, bleeding blue and red, from his mind. One Divine Beast falling, the others surely right behind.

Their time was far shorter than they had ever imagined. Hyrule was falling. The Beasts and their Champions were falling. The King was dead. Link’s father was dead. If he failed here, Zelda would die, too.

“Link,” Zelda said, and tears shone in her eyes. “Are you listening to me?”

Link swore to protect her and Hyrule. No matter the price.

Breathing a prayer and an apology both, Link wrapped her hand in the reins and swung off Epona. He grabbed her leg when she moved to follow, stilling her. “Take Epona. Ride as quickly as you can to Kakariko. She knows the way.”

Link’s throat hurt and each word felt clumsy falling out of his mouth. Zelda stared at him like she had never seen him before, and that hurt, too. “Link, this is madness. I don’t understand.”

The Master Sword burned against his back. The Guardians -- and the Blight -- were coming. Link never told anyone, but it whispered to him sometimes: when he first pulled it from the pedestal, when he first swore himself to Zelda, when the Calamity awoke at last. He heard her whispers now, and they gave him strength. He knew what he had to do.

His father had been so proud when he was declared Zelda’s knight.

“Impa must help you awaken your power.” For years, Link had been silent. He had followed, a loyal shadow. He never questioned. Now he looked into Zelda’s teary eyes and each word felt like a blade. “The Master Sword is strong enough to hold the Calamity a little longer. Find Impa, help the others.”

Link backed away, and Zelda extended a hand to him, tears streaming down her white cheeks. Every time Zelda fell before, Link was at her elbow, helping her rise. When she struggled with her horse, Link advised her. Now to protect her…

With the flat of his blade, he tapped Epona’s rear. “Kakariko!” he snapped, and Epona whinnied and bolted. Zelda yelped but at last turned away from him to grasp the reins. The Guardians were fast enough to run down a Hylian on foot but Epona was swift and cunning: she would carry her charge to Kakariko.

“Link!” Zelda cried out, and then she vanished into the rising smoke.

To protect her, Link forced her to go.

The last time he would see her and he made her cry.

Link dragged in a deep breath and tasted only ash and death. Because he was weak -- because he had always been weak, even if he tried to hide it behind his silence -- Link looked up at Vah Medoh again. Blue sparks still flared, showing that Revali was still fighting. Good. There was time.

Despite the fact that not a single book in the Royal Library talked of an  _ after _ for any Hero, Link still had hoped… But he was weak and a fool, and he had always known that. 

Link pulled the Master Sword from its sheath on his back and he felt its power like never before. It pulsed blue and bright in his hand, and it whispered what he must do, what they had to do, what could be done to buy the princess time. 

The Master Sword’s power seemed to burn through him, like he was an extension of it, as Link hurried through the waste. Guardians roamed the field but there was no time to fight them, even when Link stumbled over another familiar corpse and his heart pounded with grief and fear and fury. The Guardians’ blasts shattered brick and stone and wood, and Link hid behind whatever he could as he moved closer to the castle.

The field was a mess, clogged with the dead. Soldiers running to or from their death. His words to Zelda seemed his last, the rest stuck in his throat like congealing blood, prayers half-thought things in his head. Each death another failure and he didn’t dare stop moving long enough to close staring eyes. 

He passed the Hyrule Garrison, now nothing but rubble and bodies. Link refused to look.

_ I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. _

Deeper into enemy territory, past the remains of the ranch, and over Link’s pounding heart he heard the whir of the Guardians, heard their metal feet as they looked for survivors to kill. If they found him, he was dead. He knew it. There were too many of them cloistered here, and he was a coward because he was so afraid. He accepted his death and he was still afraid and Zelda and Revali were right to be angry at him, chosen to be a Champion for no other reason than he could wield the Master Sword.

Yet still it whispered to him, and Link kept going and tried not to think about his father, about Zelda, about  _ Revali _ , but he was selfish and he had always known that. For years he kept his mouth shut to keep everyone from knowing how foolish and selfish the Princess’s Knight was, and now in the moment of truth it didn’t matter, because the whole Kingdom knew he failed.

So selfish because he would give anything to hear Revali tell him what a fool he was, and if he didn’t hurry, Revali and the other Champions would die.

_ I’m sorry _ , Link thought and no longer knew to whom.

Castle Town was gone. Only bodies and broken stone. For a moment, Link hunched behind the remains of a wall and swallowed and kept swallowing until bile no longer burned his throat. Death surrounded him now, so many surprised faces, and he failed them all.

_ Keep going, Master Link _ , and Link pushed himself up and kept going.  _ You are almost there. _

The Master Sword chose him to be the Hero, the Champion of Hyrule, but only in the steps leading to Hyrule Castle did Link feel the power of the Goddess with him.

Past Central Square and there. The Calamity swirled above him, flying around the castle like a dragon, bleeding Malice. Link heard the whir of Guardians closing in, their red lights flashing around him. He heard the roar of monsters gathered by the Calamity, feeding on its rage. Most of all, he felt the moment when the Calamity saw him. It shrieked, the sound slicing through him like an ice storm, and its rage burned the very air. 

When the Calamity barreled down at him, all Link could think was how odd it was: after all the legends, after all the stories, he expected to feel some recognition when he at last came face to face with his foe. In the end, there was nothing. Not even fear. Not anymore.

Just defiance and grief and a love which hurt far more than the Calamity’s wrath.

_ I’m sorry, Father. I’m sorry, Princess _ , Link thought, but it was Revali’s face he saw when he slammed the Master Sword to the ground.

Perhaps it was for the best that he never told him a damned thing.

xoxoxox

Ganon’s monster was winning.

Revali had few weaknesses, but this beast only needed to conquer one of them. Another strike and Revali tumbled again, burnt feathers flying around him. The damned thing was too fast, using Revali’s own element against him.

Each breath hurt and his thigh burned and none of it matter. Revali huffed and pushed himself up again. “You fool,” he wheezed. He raised his bow and his wings shook. “Did you think you could...could defeat the greatest --”

Apparently the monster did. Again, in a flash of light, the monster moved, no longer in his line of sight. Instead, the monster moved to his left. Out of the corner of Revali’s eye, he saw it charge its weapon again. 

Of all the asinine things, Revali’s mind went to Link. The final moments of the greatest warrior the Rito had ever seen, and he was thinking of Link, staring at him with such intensity when Revali flew toward Vah Medoh. At long last, that idiot was looking at him like he should have been looking at him all along, and now nothing could come of it.

Link had always been lucky, Revali thought, turning to meet his death in the eye. By the will of the Goddesses, let his luck hold out a little longer.

Revali braced himself, except the beast didn’t fire. White light blinded him and Vah Medoh shook around him, screeching. The monster roared and the sound  _ hurt _ . After that, things blurred. For how long, Revali didn’t know. All he knew was that when he pushed himself off the ground, dazed, he was alive and a strange, golden glow pulsed through Medoh.

“You’re alive.”

Revali froze. The voice sounded so relieved. It also sounded like someone who could not  _ possibly _ be on Medoh. He turned, every inch of himself aching, and stared.

No. Oh, no.

Link knelt on the ground by the main terminal, Champion blue tunic torn and with an odd smile on his face. Revali swallowed, feeling sick. Link smiled a crooked smile, his small Hylian teeth on display, and Revali could see through his smile -- through  _ Link _ \-- to the terminal behind him. Kneeling on Vah Medoh’s back, Link was as wispy as the clouds above them.

Link was dead. The Hylian Champion was dead.

They were one and the same, but Revali still wasn’t sure which sentence struck him harder.

“You fell,” he said numbly. After all that nonsense and that damned sword hadn’t meant a damned thing. 

Link shook his head, and damn him, but that hurt, too. Link didn’t even  _ know _ \-- “The Master Sword is more than a weapon. It can act as a seal.” He glanced away from Revali, and Revali guessed he was looking toward wherever his body was. “It’s been used for similar things before.”

Revali prided himself on his cleverness, but even his brilliant mind struggled with this. He followed Link’s gaze and the same white light which blinded him earlier shone around the castle, a translucent barrier. 

“I’ll hold him as long as I can. Find Princess Zelda at Kakariko Village. Free the Divine Beasts. Destroy Ganon.”

Revali had never heard so many words from Link, and now he was ordering him around? Flustered and off-balance and  _ hating it _ , Revali whirled on Link. “You just wait --”

Link was gone. Revali looked around but he was alone. On Medoh’s back, at least. Medoh screeched and he realized with a shudder that Ganon’s monster might be trapped, but it was still there with him, on Medoh.

“A minute,” he exhaled. Then Revali huffed and shook his feathers, watching singed feathers fall to the floor. “Hold on, Medoh. It seems we have several more fights before the big finish after all.” He looked toward the castle again and the disturbing white barrier and added, “And an idiot to save.”


	2. Chapter 2

It hurt to leave Medoh, but it was the only way to free her. When Revali flew away, leaving burnt and broken feathers in his wake, she wailed behind him. The sound echoed, carried in the wind. Heart thrumming against his ribs, Revali didn’t dare look back.

Kakariko, Link said, and Revali would fly faster than any Rito before him, singed wings or no singed wings. But first...the village. His  _ home _ .

Revali had been so wrapped up in his battle with Windblight that he hadn’t noticed the battle raging below him. Beyond the village’s borders, several Guardians shuddered on the ground, glowing with holy white light. 

Frozen, Revali thought numbly, but still alive.

More importantly, Link’s power didn’t affect the Lizalfos and Moblins currently fighting both Rito and Hylian warriors and civilians below him. Without hesitation, Revali whipped out his Great Eagle Bow and joined the fray.

Kakariko,  _ soon _ , but he needed to help his people first. Link and Princess Zelda both would understand that.

Revali shrieked a war cry, and something pained inside him quieted when his people cheered and the monsters screamed. Rage gave him strength that he thought Windblight drained from him: rage about losing Vah Medoh, about Windblight, about his village, about  _ Link. _ Shrieking his fury, Revali swept over the enemy, raining death from above.

His people revitalized and the enemy startled -- and unable to swim when knocked into the lake -- the battle ended quickly. Revali didn’t allow himself celebration. The war was just beginning. With wings beginning to tremble, Revali flew toward the village. By the time he reached the ledge outside the Elder’s roost, even his tailfeathers were shaking.

“Revali! My boy!” Elder Kaneli the Second, leader of the Rito, and Revali’s adopted father. Revali sighed and for once didn’t fight when Kaneli grabbed him and pulled him into a hug. While Revali’s small stature usually bothered him, for now, for a moment, he let himself lean against Kaneli’s girth, uncomplaining when Kaneli’s large wings utterly covered him. 

Only for a moment. He took a breath and pulled away. He was still the Champion, after all.

“Calamity’s Malice has overrun Medoh,” he said, quick and blunt, like pulling out a bad feather. It still hurt. “I received word that the Hylian Champion is holding off the Calamity, but I need to go to Kakariko to regroup with Princess Zelda.”

Quick, blunt, impersonal. 

The Elder gripped his shoulders, not letting him go far. His eyes shone with fear. Never could Revali recall him seeming afraid. “You are wounded!” He brushed his wings against Revali’s own, and several battered feathers fell to the floor. His beautiful feathers… If the damage had been any worse, Revali wouldn’t be able to fly at all. “Recover first. See a healer and regain your strength before making that flight.”

Shaking his head, Revali pulled away. Anguish darkened Kaneli’s eyes, and Revali hated the Calamity to the tips of his talons. “I can’t. We’re already running out of time.” He flashed Kaneli his most arrogant smile, the one which always made Urbosa roll her eyes. “You know they’re absolutely  _ helpless _ without me.”

Kaneli huffed, but at least his shoulders relaxed. “You were always so stubborn. Five minutes then and you can be on your way. I will alert the others as to what is happening.”

Five more minutes. Revali refused to let his smile falter. How long had it been since Link had contacted him on Vah Medoh? 

“Well, hurry up then. I need to save Hyrule.”

Instead of laughing, Kaneli looked at him solemnly. “And it warms my heart to know Hyrule is in your care.”

There was nothing Revali could say to that.

It ended up being closer to ten minutes than five, but two disgusting elixirs and one quick grooming later and Revali was in the sky and heading toward Kakariko Village, the Elder’s  _ Be careful! _ still echoing in his ears. 

Revali had never flown straight from his village to Kakariko. Any time he visited the Sheikah village, it was when he accompanied the princess. He flew to Hyrule Castle, met Princess Zelda and the other Champions, and then together they traveled to the different villages, including Kakariko. With his normal flying, it took hours to reach Hyrule Castle.

The carnage below him lent strength and speed to his wings.

_ Oh, Farore. _

Revali flew over Tanagar Canyon and over the bog: areas with a low populace and it didn’t matter. Link’s power froze the Guardians, but monsters roamed in packs like he had never seen, their screams of triumph and hunger and rage carried by the breeze. Knights herded people along, but Revali couldn’t tell where they were heading. Bile rose hot and acidic in his throat, and Revali willed his wings to fly faster.

He was a Champion, and all he could do was watch as the Calamity stole over the land. Stole Vah Medoh.

No. He was  _ Revali. _ He shrieked his own warcry as he charged toward Kakariko. Monsters roared back and arrows flew and none made it close to Revali’s grand height. 

He would be back, he swore. He would clean out these roads single-winged if necessary. 

That fury kept his blood pumping and his gaze focused until Revali reached Hyrule Field. By then, night was falling. It didn’t matter. White light shone from Hyrule Castle, lighting up the field. Frozen Guardians speckled the ground like fallen stars. An army’s worth.

Despite the Master Sword’s power, Malice burned, so fiercely it almost knocked Revali out of the air. It snarled like a trapped beast behind the white light. It radiated from each Guardian and he felt their deadly, stupid stares like rabid dogs beneath him. The closer he flew to the castle, the stronger the feeling grew.

He should turn south. Revali knew it. Kakariko was southeast of the castle.

Yet Revali flew straight and Hyrule Castle loomed in front of him.

It looked like the castle was encased in diamond, its facets shimmering. Beneath the white light, Revali watched red writhe, snaking around the stone and lashing out like a trapped serpent. Pure poison. Revali shuddered.

_ Fly quickly, Revali. _ Revali’s breath caught. Link.  _ I’ll keep you safe. _

Revali glanced down again but through the Malice and the Master Sword’s blinding power, he couldn’t make out any details. He couldn’t see --

Inhaling sharply, Revali beat his wings and turned southward. To Kakariko.

The night went long and remained deadly cool.

Revali’s quest to master the Gale and the skies taught him unrelenting determination, discipline, and focus. That night he called upon every ounce of it, flying straight and true to Kakariko. He surrendered his panting breaths to the wind, his pain to the sky. Fire burned under him, carrying the scent of cooked meat, and he used the updrafts to carry him higher, further. He shrieked his warcry until his throat gave, giving what hope he could to those left to hear, but Revali didn’t let himself stop again.

The sun crept into the sky when Revali reached Kakariko. People milled under him: largely Sheikah and Hylian, but Revali recognized several Zora and Goron heads. Smoke and blood carried on the wind, lined with sharp shouts and the sound of crying.

As if realizing he reached his destination, Revali’s numb wings surrendered at last. Years of crash landings helped soften the blow, but Revali still stumbled and faltered as he slid to a stop by the stairs leading to Lady Impa’s home. The chatter around him quieted. Ignoring it, Revali bowed his head and panted. Now the pain returned, slow but inevitable, exhausted muscles and battered feathers groaning their complaints.

“Revali!” Revali hadn’t even lifted his head before Princess Zelda plowed into him. His trembling legs gave and they fell to the ground. When his back slammed into the dirt, the last of Revali’s breath left him in a huff. Breathless, Revali stared at the sky.

It was beautiful, shining with the dawn’s rays. Beautiful and untouched, and something ached behind Revali’s sternum.

“Oh, Revali! I’m sorry!” The tears in Zelda’s voice dragged Revali back to reality. He coughed and shook his head, pulling himself into a sitting position. 

How long ago had he last seen her? Pristine in her white gown, royal and divine? There was nothing royal or divine about her right then. Mud clung to her dress and tears shone in her eyes as Zelda knelt in front of him, hands clasped in front of her chest. She looked young and afraid and fragile.

Revali scowled and shook away those thoughts. None of them could be afraid and fragile right then. There was no time for that. 

Lady Impa strode behind Zelda. Revali had always known the Sheikah could be a warrior, but he had never seen it. Always before, she remained an impassive advisor, cool and as sharp-eyed as any Rito. Dirt made Princess Zelda seem more delicate; it made Impa fierce, her blade a deliberate weight on her back. She nodded and stood behind Zelda. Somehow, that more than anything made Revali realize how many were watching them. “Champion Revali. Do you have news?”

Did he have news? Revali huffed. “I bring word from Link,” he announced, and everyone fell quiet around him. Even the crying gave way to exhausted sniffles. Perhaps at another time he would be indignant that he was playing Link’s messenger, but for now the memory of Hyrule Castle was too fresh, the memory of looking  _ through _ Link too sharp. 

Zelda’s eyes widened. A tear slid, unbidden and unnoticed, down her cheek, leaving a trail through the mud. “Link? He’s alive?”

The words slipped out before he could stop them. “For now.”

Zelda gasped. Revali half-expected to feel guilty. He didn’t. 

Revali looked away from Zelda, the hope and fear and pain in her eyes digging at sensitive points in his chest. He looked at Impa instead, with her reassuring scowl. “Link is at Hyrule Castle, holding the Calamity at bay with the Master Sword’s power. The Calamity has claimed the Divine Beasts. We need to free them and attack the Calamity before Link’s strength gives out.”

Zelda’s mouth opened, a new fear bright in her eyes. Revali knew what she was going to ask,  _ knew  _ \--

Impa spoke before Zelda could. “Then we must form a plan and act quickly. Princess Zelda, Champion Revali, please rest while I coordinate with the others. We’ll need you both at full strength for the days ahead.”

Indeed. Still refusing to look at Zelda, Revali forced himself to his feet. He didn’t look back at her when Impa knelt beside the princess, whispering things Revali refused to hear.

Revali had no time for weakness. None of them had time for it now.

He repeated that to himself even as his legs and wings shook, even as he collapsed into a Hylian-style bed.

When he closed his eyes, Link was waiting for him there.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I actually planned on writing more for this chapter, but no matter how hard I tried, the chapter refused to yield. Enjoy and hopefully the next chapter will be longer.

Of all places, Link sat on what Revali considered  _ his _ landing, left leg stretched out in front of him and right leg pulled to his chest. Despite being on  _ Revali’s _ landing, in  _ Revali’s _ village, in Revali’s  _ dream _ , Link didn’t look at Revali. Instead, his gaze was focused outward, beyond the lake and hills surrounding the village.

He also, in Revali’s indispensable opinion, looked like hell. Too pale, too drawn, too  _ frail _ , as if one strong gust would send him flying from the landing. Whatever Revali’s thoughts on Link, he never thought of him as fragile. Many things, but not  _ fragile. _

He didn’t like it.

Huffing, Revali walked over and sat beside Link. He felt when Link’s attention shifted to him, gaze as heavy as that damned sword of his, but Revali didn’t grace Link with his attention in turn. Instead, he looked out over his home and pretended like he couldn’t feel the ache building behind his ribcage.

Whether it was his dream or Link’s -- Revali believed his, not just due to the landscape but the vivid detail he didn’t trust Link to see -- the village and the surrounding area was beautiful, untouched by the Calamity’s rage and malice. No people, Rito or otherwise, interrupted the view. The sun seemed trapped, the dull red glow of the sunset still and soft around them. The only movement was in the flight of the birds above and the wind rustling his feathers. Revali saw the movement but couldn’t feel it.

After a moment, it occurred to Revali that he was insane for thinking that Link of all people would be the one to break the silence. Revali felt Link’s eyes on him for a heartbeat longer before the Hylian turned his gaze back to the unchanging landscape. Here, in this dream, in their quiet, it was easy to forget what waited for them in the waking world.

“I reached Kakariko and met with Princess Zelda,” Revali said eventually. Because he was a professional and was aware that verbal communication was necessary for the exchange of information. “Impa is talking with the others while we rest.”

When Link didn’t answer, Revali turned to look at him and immediately regretted it. His profile was even more brittle than the rest of him.

“So,” Revali snarked, letting his fury build in his throat. Anything better than. Well. “Do you have any other grand advice for us? Or does --”

_ Holding back the Calamity take up all your energy? _

Revali choked off the thought and turned back to the horizon. Belatedly, he realized he couldn’t hear any bird calls: just the wind.

“The Master Sword isn’t meant for this,” Link said. He spoke quietly but his words seemed too loud, nonetheless. “I’ll hold on as long as I can, but its grip is already beginning to fail.”

Around them, the air darkened. Shadows stretched. As if triggered by Link’s words, time began moving on, the red sun sinking in the distance. Revali swallowed, a bitter taste lingering on the back of his tongue. He bit back comments about Link’s endurance: the dream was ending. “How so?” he asked, one Champion to another.

Darkness spread but the red from the sunset lingered, no longer beautiful but shining like fresh blood. Revali looked up. Above them, glow bright and sick, the moon shone red.

“I can hold Ganon, but his Malice is spread too far.” Revali looked back at Link and then  _ through _ Link. Somehow, even as he faded like a ghost before Revali’s eyes, Link’s gaze was still sharp, still fierce. “Hurry to the Divine Beasts. Free them as quickly as you can.”

Revali watched his wing rise, watched it reach for Link…

Then the dream faded, and he stared at the dull brown ceiling of Impa’s home.

Revali ended up on Impa’s roof, where he carefully didn’t think until Zelda awoke, too. He examined his bow for stressors which could end up being lethal in battle. He focused on the feel of the wind flowing through his feathers, so different from the winds of his home. He watched the people gather and huddle and roam beneath him and ignored the strange feeling of fury building in his chest.

Most of all, he didn’t think about Link. He didn’t. He wasted too much time thinking about him. It was time to focus on the battles ahead.

Above him, the sun shone blinding bright, the sky blue and cloudless. Revali’s wings still ached, muscles still throbbing a warning, and if he felt self-indulgent, it would be easy to pretend that his exhaustion stemmed from practicing too hard, throwing himself again and again into that shining blue.

Champion blue. The blue of Link’s eyes. No. Revali wasn’t feeling self-indulgent.

Around lunchtime, Princess Zelda emerged from Impa’s home. Even if Zelda’s mere presence wasn’t attention-catching enough, the way the people below Revali stuttered in their steps would have caught his eye. Revali exhaled and slung his Great Eagle Bow on his back. Time to save the world, he supposed.

To his satisfaction, despite the ache, his wings remained steady as he glided downward. By then everyone had returned to their tasks, pretending that the sight of Princess Zelda hadn’t stopped them in their tracks, and Revali quietly hated them for it. With long practice, he kept his vitriol trapped in his beak and landed before Zelda.

The rest had done her well. She stood before the banister and stared out at Kakariko. The rigid straightness of her back made Revali’s spine ache in sympathy and she clasped her hands so tightly together her knuckles bled white, but she was clean, back in her regular travel clothes, and the familiar look of determination blazed in her eyes again. Zelda greeted him with a tight smile and a nod.

“Good afternoon,” Zelda said, voice strained but even. “I wished to apologize for this morning. My behavior was...unseemly.”

Unseemly. Long practice again worked in his favor, and Revali didn’t scoff like he so dearly wished. No matter how much time he spent around Hylians, they seemed the maddest race in Hyrule. “No matter,” Revali said, waving a wing. He paused. What did he say after that? Did he say sweet words over the death of the king, her father and a man he despised? Hopeful words about Link? About the Calamity?

This he  _ didn’t _ have practice in.

Fortunately, Zelda barrelled on, not seeming to notice his disquiet. “We are to meet with Impa for lunch. She has yet to share her thoughts with me, waiting until we are together, but I think it best if we set off quickly after we eat. I do not know…” She faltered, and the skin around her eyes tightened. “I do not know how long Link’s strength can last, but regardless, we owe it to Mipha and the others to see to them as quickly as possible.”

_ It wasn’t Link’s strength: it was the Master Sword. _ Revali needed to tell her. He heard Link’s words mockingly clear in his mind. Probably just Link trying to excuse his own weakness, but it did make sense: a sword wasn’t meant to act as a shield. 

_ By the way, Princess _ … The words were there, heavy on his tongue, and Revali’s beak refused to open. He scowled and watched two Sheikah lead a small group of Hylians into the village. They looked more dazed and exhausted than truly hurt. They were also a pathetic excuse for a distraction.

But it wasn’t like there was anything to  _ tell _ . Revali watched Zelda out of the corner of his eye, watched her tangle her fingers together. It wasn’t as if they didn’t know there was a time limit, and even Link didn’t tell him to pass on any messages. He just… Appeared in Revali’s dream and was unnecessarily ominous. That was all.

_ Besides _ . If he appeared in  _ Revali’s _ dream, there was a good chance he appeared in. Well. Other dreams as well. Revali had no idea why Link popped up there, anyway. 

When Impa appeared soundlessly behind them, Revali hid a sigh of relief. Time to move on then.

Well. Almost.

“No. Impa. I will  _ not _ stay hidden in Kakariko while my people need me!”

“Princess, it is  _ precisely _ because your people need you that you should stay here and work on unlocking your power. The Champions can --”

“I am the  _ leader _ of the Champions.”

Revali finished his lunch while Princess Zelda ignored hers, passionately arguing with Lady Impa. The other Sheikah stood off to the edges of the room, silent and still. Revali waved one over and whispered instructions to prepare supplies and the princess’s horse, as well as one additional item. To the Sheikah’s credit, there was no argument, simply a small inclining of the head and a fading into the shadows which struck Revali as annoyingly familiar. 

He planned on staying out of the argument. After all, with the king’s death, Zelda was all but Queen. Impa could push but she had no ability to force Zelda to do anything. Then Impa raised another point.

“Your Champion is not here to protect you. With your powers unawakened --”

“What am I, a cucco?” Revali interrupted. He leaned forward and glowered at Impa, who stared unblinking back. “I am  _ more than enough _ to protect the princess. Besides, our first task is to reach Mipha, is it not? Then she will have not one but  _ two _ Champions to protect her.”

Impa’s eyes darkened, but Zelda jumped in before she could speak. “While I travel with Revali, you can send warriors to the desert to assist Urbosa and to Death Mountain to assist Daruk. Freeing the Divine Beasts is of the utmost importance.”

“Keeping you safe --”

“Means nothing if Hyrule falls to the Calamity,” Zelda interrupted. Her eyes flashed and Revali saw the Queen she could be, the Queen her father sought to stifle. “Revali is the Chosen Champion of the Rito, and I am confident in his ability to keep me safe in our travels. Time is of the essence. We must move now to reach the other Champions.”

Revali glared at Impa, just  _ waiting _ for some comment about Link’s destiny or that damned Master Sword, but Impa only leaned back on her heels and frowned. When she did speak, Revali fought not to flinch. “There are tales of the Master Sword being used as a seal against Evil, but never like this. It was always when the Evil had already been weakened or subdued or to act as a barrier against the Evil accessing something. You are correct, Princess: time is of the essence.” Her face softened, the barest amount, something Revali only saw for the princess. “All of you must build your strength. When the time comes to fight the Calamity, there is a good possibility that Link --”

Princess Zelda stood abruptly, and Revali quickly followed. “Time  _ is _ of the essence. We need to help Mipha before we lose anymore time.”

After a breath, Impa bowed her head. In that breath, Revali hated her so fiercely it felt like dragonbreath in his lungs. 

Fifteen minutes later, when they stood at the entrance of Kakariko and Revali watched Princess Zelda climb not onto  _ her _ horse but  _ Epona _ , Revali hated  _ everything _ .

The Sheikah prepared a horse for him, as well, which he could happily have done without. For the sake of avoiding yet more useless arguments, Revali climbed up and kept all of his scathing insults tucked in his beak. Impa stood beside Epona and spoke quietly to Zelda, but Revali was content to ignore them. He preferred to scowl at his black beast, which seemed to give him a dark eye back before dismissing him. Truly, this day was nothing but insult after insult.

At last, Zelda nodded toward Impa and straightened in her saddle. “I will return as quickly as I can.”

Impa inclined her head and stepped backwards. It felt like all eyes were on them. “Be safe, Princess, Champion.”

Revali scoffed. “Of course we’ll be safe. She is with me!”

Really, Revali thought less than an hour later, the goddesses were determined to mock him.

In Revali’s defense, the Calamity’s awakening had created a spike in monster activity in the last two years, with a rapid increase in the final weeks immediately before. He remembered Princess Zelda chattering about it between writing notes in her journals and scolding Link for his recklessness. Migration activity not seen for hundreds of years. Lizalfos moving aggressively into Zora territory like they hadn’t done in the last  _ thousand _ years. Not only a change in number but a change in behavior and an increased environmental adaptability, Revali remembered her telling Urbosa. 

Also in Revali’s defense, considering  _ she _ was the one gathering and tracking all of that information, even Princess Zelda was surprised by the Lynel.

**Author's Note:**

> For more info and more LOZ, check me out on [tumblr](https://tirsynni.tumblr.com/).


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